For something different, I have decided to combine a LIST with a RANT. Now normally I do not do RANTS these days, I normally prefer to do RAVES but when it warrants it somethings I just want to talk about what I do not like. For the people not in the know, my blog 'RANTS & RAVES' is basically my thoughts and opinions about anything and everything. I mainly do RAVES aka stuff I really enjoy, be it a tv show, music artists and mostly video games. I also recently started doing LISTs which is what the name implies, a LIST. I have done my favorite From software games the makers of Dark Souls and Elden Ring and my favorite video game characters.
However when something really upsets me, it really gets in my brain and I need to talk about it and right now the thing that upsets me the most is how bad comic book artists somehow still get work. Comic books are a visual medium and bad art can really take you out of the experience. Bad writing is also not good of course but I'll admit I'll keep reading a bad story if the art was still good and the artist was a good storyteller. This LIST maybe controversial to some (especially the 3 and 4) but as I mentioned it is how I feel. With the preamble done, lets talk about some the worst comic book artists.
4. Frank Miller
As mentioned above, the backend might be a bit controversial but I personally feel Frank Miller of Sin City/ Daredevil/ Dark Knight Returns fame has really gone down hill in his later years. Mr. Miller's art used to be very stylized but at the same time striking and eye catching. Minimalism but highly detailed was his calling card. His legendary The Dark Knight Returns cover for example. The above art however displays all my issues with his current work. His once detailed line work now looks rushed, all his character faces look messy, look at Batman's right foot and just how out of proportion it is and none of it appeals to me.
Mr. Miller is at the back of the LIST because he has not always been a bad artist but much like Chris Jericho in AEW wrestling way past his prime and being deaf to the feedback of his peers and fans, I think he should consider retiring before he tarnishes his legacy even more.
3. John Romita Jr.
This might be slightly controversial too but I believe it needs to be said that I have no idea why John Romita Jr. still gets work and not just that, work with big creations like Spider-man, Bat-man and Super-man as you see above. Mr. Romita Jr's art is not horrible, parse, it just lacks impact for me. His faces lack detail, his backgrounds are non existent and if he does draw backgrounds it just lots of lines. His anatomy is thankfully good especially compared to the people below him but at the same time, he does have anything distinctive about it. Mr. Romita Jr art is just plain and it has not 'fire' to it.
It odd because his father John Romita Sr is an amazing artist and has had inspired generations of artists including his son of course but comparing the too just seem unfair. Mr. Romita Sr's work embodies comic books and makes me nostalgic for the good ol' days. Junior's art work just seems safe. I heard one of the reasons why he still gets a lot of work is because he is very consistent with his deadlines and the stress of a drawing a monthly book does not get to him but if the by-product is a lack luster art he delivers I would rather have guest artists fill in for him. Despite his almost clinical/ lack-luster art style, his work is still light years ahead of the next artist.
2. Rob Liefeld
Even through there is only one spot between John Romita Jr. and Rob Liefeld, there is a much bigger gap in how much I do not enjoy their art. This one should not be controversial and I had so many bad art to choose from including his infamous Captain America picture but I feel the above image also shows everything that is wrong with his art 'style'.
Let us start with the elephant in the room. Mr. Liefeld lack of control when it comes to anatomy. His obsession with putting more muscles than a person needs, his inability to draw feet (which he always hides in the smoke or dust) and one of my least favorite thing, his faces and the constipated look his characters always have. The fact that in the early 90's everyone was trying to draw like Liefeld and he had a whole art studio following in his foot-steps is a real dark period in comic books. The fact no-one recognized to much later that his artwork is not only bad but that he made a career out of it is amazing. Yes, he has a legacy too and he helped created one of the most popular characters of all time, Deadpool but we are a audience need to recognize, he is not a good artist and he has never been one. Unlike Frank Miller who has got worst over time, Mr. Liefield has just been bad always. I have heard he is aiming to retire soon and thank goodness for that. Now despite this low hanging fruit, there is actually someone much worse then Mr. Liefeld in my opinion.
1. Greg Land
Here we are at the crux of the matter, the previous 3 entries were artists at least, even Mr. Liefield but Greg Land is just a tracer and the thing that really offends me is the fact that he still gets work and not only that, he gets work regularly and it simple makes no sense how a hack like this can keep getting paying gigs. In all honesty, this whole RANT is because of Land and how much his 'art' offends me. It is also sad because being the big Marvel fan I am I can not avoid him and I end up buying books with his tracings. My most recent purchase 'Predator vs Wolverine' had Land's art in it but his name was not listed on the cover. Thankfully he only really drew partial one chapter but just seeing his 'art' made me nauseous. It is just so bad y'all. Is it the un-natural faces which he probably borrowed from his porn collection where he traces all his female faces from or the fact that when he is not tracing his own previous art he is stealing from established well known artists and people and editors just let him get away with it. Is the fact that all his action scenes look tilted and artificial. It is maddening.
I wish I could avoid him the black plague but I can not. Mr. Miller's art especially his earlier work I can buy, Mr. Romita Jr's work if its in a book from a library I borrowed, I can work with it. I flat out refuse to buy anything with Mr. Liefield's name attached to it and thankfully everything he draws outside of Deadpool does not appeal to me but Greg Land? Marvel has forced him on me over the years and I have had enough. I have no idea what blackmail papers he has on the executives at Marvel comics but enough is enough. I also know I am not alone in losing my patience with Land's 'art' because I have seen numerous posts which are saying the same thing. Greg Land is not a penciller, Greg Land is not a artist. Greg Land is a tracer and the worst comic book artist I am forced to buy.
Conclusion: I know this might seem out of pocket and believe it or not, my regular blog readers will know I normally do not do RANTs these days but I needed to get this out of my system. As a medium I love and have invested a lot of time into collecting, reading and appreciating, the art in a comic book matters a lot to me even as a non artist. So the fact that their is artists out there whom a getting work and not just work, high profile work whilst other smaller artist struggle really drives me mad.
Now I have gotten this off my chest I think I can move on but not before my final dig. MARVEL STOP GIVING GREG LAND WORK!
AV
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